


A Simple Misunderstanding

by avesnongrata



Category: Legend of the Seeker
Genre: F/F, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-14
Updated: 2014-02-14
Packaged: 2018-01-12 07:10:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1183367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avesnongrata/pseuds/avesnongrata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard misinterprets Cara’s efforts to help Kahlan relax. Set vaguely early in Season 2, not long after “Broken.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Simple Misunderstanding

Cara adjusted the pack on her shoulders apprehensively as she approached the gates of the village. The lookout posted on top of the wall took one look at her leathers and called her to a halt.

“I thought you would be long gone by now,” he called down to her, a harsh tone poorly masking his unease. “As you were told before: friend of the Seeker or no, Mord’Sith are not welcome. Get out of here.”

Cara raised an eyebrow and ignored him. She had indeed been turned away at the gate when she, Richard, Kahlan and Zedd had arrived four days earlier. Kahlan’s services were badly needed within the war-torn village’s walls, but not even her assurances could convince the townspeople to show Cara any hospitality. She’d been forced to camp in the hills by herself.

“Tell the Mother Confessor I need to speak with her,” she demanded simply.

The guard hesitated uncertainly. Cara shook her head in annoyance and began to stride toward the gate. The guard flinched and quickly relayed the message.

Minutes later, Kahlan and Richard were ushered through the gates. Kahlan was still in her white Confessor’s dress and Richard’s hand was resting on the hilt of his sword, his whole body tensed. “Cara, what’s wrong?” Kahlan asked, her eyes dark with fatigue and concern.

Cara shifted from one foot to another, fixing a pointed stare at Richard. She addressed Kahlan but avoided making eye contact with her. “Does your leisure serve, Confessor?”

Kahlan and Richard exchanged worried glances. “Yes, I have heard my last set of complaints for the day. I will see to the rest tomorrow. My presence may be required here for at least another day,” she responded as formally as Cara had questioned her.

Cara clenched her jaw and cursed herself silently; she hadn’t meant to set Kahlan on edge like that. “Good. Come with me.” She took a deep breath and hastily added, “Please.”

“Of course, Cara.” Kahlan’s face softened, abandoning her Confessor’s intensity. Her shoulders, Cara noted, were still visibly tense. _Good_ , thought Cara. She turned on her heel and headed toward her campsite in the hills. Two pairs of footsteps followed her. She didn’t need to look to know that Richard had decided to tag along. She rolled her eyes and called over her shoulder, “Sorry, Seeker, I only invited Kahlan.”

Richard began to protest but Kahlan silenced him. He headed back toward the gate looking puzzled and stung. Cara regretted hurting Richard but it was necessary; she needed to have Kahlan alone if her plan had any chance of succeeding.

Though she was walking quite quickly, Kahlan caught up with her and matched her pace easily. Cara cast her what she hoped was a reassuring look but quickly had to retreat from the small smile Kahlan gave her in return.

Cara cleared her throat. “Have you eaten? Are you hungry?” she asked, slipping her pack off her shoulders and swinging it in front of her so she could rummage inside it as they walked.

“I had a little to eat back at the village. I’ll be fine.”

“Here,” Cara gingerly handed her a small package, meticulously wrapped in a clean cloth. She pulled a similar bundle out of the pack for herself. “We can stop to eat if you’d like, but we’ll make better use of the daylight we have left if we eat while we walk. It’s a bit of a hike.”

“I don’t mind.” Kahlan began to unwrap the package Cara had given her. Inside was a generous cut of cold meat and a few wild vegetables between two large slabs of bread.

“Vension,” Cara explained roughly, pretending not to watch Kahlan’s reaction as she took a tentative bite.

“Cara, this is delicious,” Kahlan mumbled, her mouth still full. “Have you been pretending to be a horrible cook so Zedd won’t make you do it more often?”

Cara smirked triumphantly to herself. “Something like that.”

Kahlan laughed. She’d shed her earlier air of formality and no longer looked like she was waiting to spring into action. Despite this, Cara could tell she was still carrying her tension and fatigue. Cara tried to relax as well, with limited success. So far, the execution of her plan was going well, but the hard part was still to come.

They continued down the path in silence. By the time they’d finished their food, the trail was beginning to get much steeper.

“Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see.”

The sun sank lower in the sky as they scrambled up what had become a rocky mountain trail. Cara reached the top of the ridge first and turned to help Kahlan pull herself up over the last boulder. She set her pack down and held her breath, anxiously gauging Kahlan’s reaction to the sight in front of them.

A small lake shimmered through the trees, reflecting the brilliant colors of the sunset in its ripples. Kahlan gasped, a smile igniting her face. Cara had to work hard to keep the satisfaction off her own face.

“You’ve been working too hard. You need to relax.”

“You abducted me and marched me all the way out here so I could relax?” Kahlan teased.

Cara only raised an eyebrow in response. She tugged each of the fingers of her gloves so they’d be easier to take off. Kahlan stood with her hands on her hips, shaking her head slowly. Cara froze.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just…” Kahlan began, an amused smile beginning to creep onto her face. “Cara, I don’t understand you. I can’t manage to convince the villagers that you’re safe to have around and you repay me by making me dinner and bringing me up here? What am I going to do with you?”

Cara willed her hands to stay steady enough to finish taking off her gloves. Kahlan’s back stiffened as Cara glided slowly toward her. The Mord’Sith and the Confessor stood nose to nose, eyes locked, for several impossibly long seconds. Cara lifted a hand toward Kahlan’s chest, making her flinch.

“Trust me.” Cara’s fingers found the laces at the front of Kahlan’s dress and swiftly undid them. Kahlan blushed furiously but allowed her to help her out of the dress.

“Take off your boots.” Kahlan did as she was told while Cara took the dress and hung it gently over a tree limb so it wouldn’t get rumpled. She returned quickly to the rock where Kahlan was sitting and offered her a hand. Kahlan took it and Cara pulled her to her feet, spinning her around to she could undo the laces at the back of her corset.

Kahlan inhaled sharply. “What are you doing?”

“The sun will have set by the time we have to hike back down to the village. You’ll freeze if your clothes are wet.”

Kahlan couldn’t argue with her reasoning so she let Cara continue to loosen her corset. When it was loose enough to take the rest of the way off, Cara paused. She thanked the Spirits that Kahlan’s back was to her so the Confessor couldn’t see her hesitation or the grin that crept onto her face when she didn’t stop her from sliding the corset straps off her shoulders. Cara helped Kahlan the rest of the way out of the corset and set it on a rock under the tree where her dress hung. She turned around to find Kahlan had turned to face her, arms crossed modestly over her bare chest. Her face was still a brilliant shade of pink.

“What about you? Would you like some help with your leather?”

“It’s a little… complicated. I can get out of it more quickly on my own.” To prove her point, Cara peeled off her top and laid it reverently on a rock. She stood with her hands on her hips and a small smirk on her lips. Kahlan’s eyes widened and she blushed even more deeply. She averted her eyes bashfully and fumbled with the ties of her skirt.

Cara tugged off her boots and set them next to her top on the rock. A few seconds later her agiels and the rest of her leathers joined the pile. Once she was finished undressing, she pulled her pack toward her and fished something small out of one of the pockets. She hid it in her palm before turning to find Kahlan draping her skirt over a branch. The way the dappled rays of sunshine fell on Kahlan’s hair and shoulders took her breath away. She let her gaze wander lower, admiring the Confessor’s strong back and the curves of her hips. Kahlan glanced over her shoulder and Cara forced her eyes to return to Kahlan’s face.

“Are you ready?”

Kahlan nodded, smiling shyly. Cara led the way down to the water’s edge and waded out into the lake until the water was up to her waist. The water was surprisingly warm, having been heated by the sun all day, and was so clear she could almost see her feet on the bottom. Kahlan caught up with her and touched her shoulder gently. Cara’s heart leapt into her throat at the touch.

“You were right. This is exactly what I needed.” Kahlan smiled warmly at her. “This place is beautiful, Cara, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. I’m not finished.” She set her hands firmly on Kahlan’s hips and pulled her closer.

 

* * *

 

Richard crept silently along the trail, following Cara and Kahlan’s tracks. They had only been gone a few hours, but he was unsettled nonetheless. Cara had only been part of their band for such a short time, and considering what she’d done to Dennee, it was a wonder Kahlan had come to trust her in that small amount of time. Richard smiled to himself. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised, not really. Kahlan could always see the good in people; it was one of the things he loved about her.

Even so, the way Cara had come to the gates looking for her seemed strange to him. Stranger still was the way the two of them had spoken to one another in such terse, formal tones. Kahlan went with Cara willingly, but both women had been wound tight as harp strings. _Something is definitely wrong_. He quickened his pace.

He pulled himself over a boulder at the top of the ridge and found himself in a small clearing. He could see the glint of a lake through the trees ahead of him. Kahlan’s white dress and black skirt were draped over tree limbs. Her corset, boots and daggers were on the ground nearby, as were Cara’s leathers and agiels. Richard’s hand automatically gripped the hilt of his sword. That meant wherever they were, they were unarmed. He scanned the ground and quickly spotted two sets of tracks heading away from the pile of clothes towards the lake. _They’re also naked_ , he thought to himself.

Just then the sound of splashing caught his attention. He looked up and squinted into the light glaring off the water. What he saw made his heart skip a beat and his blood run cold in his veins. Cara stood sopping wet, half submerged in the lake with Kahlan at her feet. The water around them was churning and flecked with foam. He broke into a sprint towards the water line, drawing his sword. When he reached the lake he could see that Cara stood behind Kahlan and held her tightly by her hair. Her arms were pulled this way and that with the effort of holding on but nevertheless her lips were twisted upward in a satisfied smirk. Kahlan’s chin was tilted toward the sky, pinned that way by Cara’s grip. Her face was barely an inch above the surface of the water, her eyes were closed and her lips were parted.

Richard charged into the water, sword raised. He came up behind Cara in a few powerful strides and grabbed her shoulder. He wrenched her away from Kahlan, who let out a strangled cry as her eyes flew open, and then he shoved Cara hard, knocking her backwards into the water. To his surprise, she made no effort to fight back. He wheeled to help Kahlan but found her staring at him in astonishment, rubbing the side of her head where her hair had been pulled.

Cara got to her feet and stared at him, perplexed. “Have you gone mad?”

“You were attacking Kahlan!” he stammered. “What got into you?”

Cara and Kahlan stared at him for a few moments. Water dripped into his eyes from his wet hair and his clothes clung to him. Suddenly, he felt very foolish.

“Richard, Cara wasn’t attacking me,” Kahlan laughed. “She was washing my hair.”

Richard blinked at Cara, who showed him the small lump of handmade soap she held in her palm. His shoulders sagged.

“See? I wasn’t in any danger. Cara knew I was tense and worn out, so she brought me up here to help me relax. It was very nice of her to go to all this trouble.” Kahlan glanced at Cara and smiled. “She’s such a good friend.”

Cara went slightly pink but said nothing. Instead she chose to glare sullenly at Richard. “If you’re finished trying to rescue Kahlan, go wait in the woods while we get dressed.”

“Cara, I’m sorry I shoved you. It was just a simple misunderstanding.”

“Just go, Seeker.”

Richard stammered another apology and waded to shore. He walked several paces into the woods, found a large rock and sat on it sheepishly until Kahlan came to find him several minutes later.

 

* * *

 

For Cara, the hike back to the village was harder. She was careful to stay a few paces behind Richard and Kahlan, who had taken the lead. Richard’s clothes were still drenched and they clung to his body as he walked. They made ridiculous squelching noises every so often, which made Kahlan laugh and tease him. Kahlan’s wet hair had made her white dress damp and slightly translucent. Cara could tell by the way she walked that much of the tension had finally left the Confessor’s shoulders. At least I accomplished that much, she thought ruefully. She found herself staring transfixed at the laces of Kahlan’s corset and the wet locks of hair that clung to her shoulders. The phantom sensation of that beautiful hair entwined in her fingers made Cara shiver. Her fingers itched to touch it again, to feel the corset laces tug against her hands as they came undone. She wanted to run her hands over Kahlan’s skin and breathe in the scent of rosemary and mint left there by the soap she’d spent days making for just that purpose.

As if on cue, Richard leaned over and buried his face in Kahlan’s hair, inhaling deeply. “You smell so good!”

“Mmn, I’m glad you like it,” Kahlan responded, kissing Richard lightly on the cheek. As an afterthought, she glanced back at Cara over her shoulder. “I feel so spoiled. Thank you, Cara.”

Cara couldn’t think of an appropriate reply, so she gave none. Her throat was too tight to speak anyway. She merely nodded and quickened her pace, passing Richard and Kahlan and taking the lead. Kahlan’s words from earlier played over and over in her head as she walked:

_It was very nice of her to go to all this trouble… She’s such a good friend._


End file.
